Synopsis: Woody, an adorable 11-year-old boy awaiting the return of his missing mother, lives with his grandmother and Uncle Vincent, who is fresh off an eight-year prison stint. For Woody, the confident, charismatic Vincent is a titan among men. When Vincent notices that Woody could learn a thing or two about becoming a man, he brings him along as he ventures forth to open his own business. But when legit life fails to support Vincent’s vision, and his old Baltimore crime boss, Mr. Fish, haunts him, the pace of little Woody’s manhood lesson accelerates.

Beautiful, bold, and confident, Sheldon Candis’s auspicious debut feature transforms the standard gangster film into a warm and radiant coming-of-age story that humanizes complex situations through characters motivated by love, rather than pride. Brought to life by a brilliant cast, including Danny Glover, Charles Dutton, and Meagan Good, LUV is a lion-hearted tale about virtue as it shines through a complicated slice of black male life in Baltimore.

The short film, embedded at the bottom of this post, is essentially a short-form version of the feature. In it, you’ll get an idea of what the feature might look, sound and feel like, as well as the dramatic starring role Common will play as Uncle Vincent.